René Jansen answers for Dutch igaming teething problems
The chair of the Dutch gambling regulator responded to criticism of the new licensed market.
The Netherlands.- René Jansen, the chair of the Dutch gambling regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has apologised for the delayed launch of the country’s new regulated igaming market.
Licensed online gambling launched in the Netherlands on October 2, a day later than planned due to a hiccup with the gaming exclusion system, CRUKS.
Writing in a blog post, Jansen explained that the Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen had suffered a fault at the time of launch, resulting in operators being forced to wait a day before they could go live. CRUKS only became available on October 4.
Jansen said: “I am very sorry that it turned out this way, and I am of course very aware of my administrative responsibility for these start-up problems. We have pulled out all the stops to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.”
Player complaints
Jansen responded to several questions that were raised during his appearance on the radio station BNR Nieuwsradio. He said the regulator had received complaints from players about the customer service offered by some operators.
He said: “We have received complaints from players that the customer service of some providers is not easily accessible and that the deposits are not always successful. As a supervisory authority, we are keeping a finger on the pulse of this in order to allow license holders to make adjustments if necessary.”
More Dutch igaming licences to come
He also responded to critics who have said that, with only ten licensees, the market is too limited. He said that more licences were being processed and that the final look of the market would be clearer by July 2022.
He said: “The first licensed providers offer a wide range, and all game types are represented, but we are not there yet. It would be good if the market is further expanded to make the choice for the player broad and attractive.
“That is a means to ensure that, if the Dutch want to play, they do so with legal providers so that they are as well protected as possible.”
See also: The Netherlands to open totalisator licence tender
